Heather Beery

Heather Beery

Age: 47
IT Manager, Indiana University

In January of 2014, a dear friend asked if I wanted to take CrossFit classes with her. I knew a little about it, but mostly needed something to get my butt in gear. I had been going alone to a gym but wasn’t seeing much progress from using the elliptical and relatively light weights. Hello 5 a.m. at CrossFit Bloomington!!

For the first year we worked out together 3-4 days a week, but at the time it was a tiny class and sometimes even just us (not the case anymore!). During that first year I saw some progress, but my friend and I were in similar shape so we weren’t pushing each other. Of course we still had A LOT of fun…until she was no longer able to attend classes. It was sad to see her go, but I was determined to stay and now I had more class flexibility. I wanted to go to the 6 a.m. class, but those people were SO good. How on earth would I fit in? Working out with (or competing against – turns out I’m kinda competitive) people who are significantly better than you is scary. But…it turns out it also makes you MUCH better!!

3+ years later, those “scary” people are some of my best friends. They push me to work harder and face my fears (like doing handstands – which used to make my eyes well up – true story). As a result, I now do things I never thought I would. I LOVE handstands. I’ve climbed to the top of that crazy high rope countless times. And my all time favorite CrossFit movement? Burpees. Those “scary” people are also kind enough to support me on days when I’m just not feeling it. Because we all have those days. After an injury a couple of them even showed up at my house with dark beer and darker chocolate (balance is important 🙂 ).

3+ years later I’m so much stronger, physically and mentally. When I started it was about my physical self, but it’s been a crazy emotional journey as well. Leave your ego at the door! Fat loss isn’t everyone’s goal (nor should it be), but it was one of mine and I’m pleased to say that after a significant shift in my way of thinking I’m down 45 pounds. For years I wanted to weigh less for the sake of weighing less. But now. Now I want to be strong enough to move heavy things. And light enough to move my body efficiently.

One of my favorite things about CrossFit is that I’m surrounded by people with similar goals. Exactly what that looks like is different for everyone, but I have a lot of people in my life who want me to succeed. And that feels amazing.

BTW I’m forty-seven. That business about being too old to do new stuff is BS. I will keep showing up at 6 a.m. and I will keep getting better!